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Mosses in the Lawn

by Richard Jauron, Department of Horticulture

Mosses are common in many lawns this year. Mosses are small, thread-like plants that form green mats on the soil surface. Mosses are adapted to a wide range of environmental conditions. Mosses can be found in moist and dry sites, sun or shade, and in acidic or alkaline soils.

The appearance of mosses in a lawn is usually a sign of poor growing conditions. Conditions that encourage moss growth include excessive shade, low fertility, poor drainage, compacted soil, or any combination of the above.

Mosses can be temporarily removed by hand raking. (Mosses don't have true roots and rake up easily.) However, the underlying conditions responsible for the moss development must be corrected to achieve a permanent solution.

Links to this article are strongly encouraged, and this article may be republished without further permission if published as written and if credit is given to the author, Horticulture and Home Pest News, and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. If this article is to be used in any other manner, permission from the author is required. This article was originally published on March 30, 1994. The information contained within may not be the most current and accurate depending on when it is accessed.